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Tamron Announces the 150-500mm, a Portable Zoom for Sony Mirrorless

23 Apr

The post Tamron Announces the 150-500mm, a Portable Zoom for Sony Mirrorless appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Earlier this week, Tamron unveiled the 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD for Sony E-mount cameras, a lens that will offer significant power, versatility, and affordability to Sony users.

The 150-500mm f/5-6.7 is Tamron’s “first ultra-telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras that reaches the 500mm focal length.” But despite the super-telephoto range, the 150-500mm is surprisingly compact. At 500mm, the lens reaches 11.1 in (28 cm), and when retracted to 150mm, it clocks in at a portable 8.3 in (21 cm) for a travel-ready package.

While the f/6.7 maximum aperture may frustrate professionals, enthusiast sports, wildlife, and bird photographers will love the opportunity to get up close and personal without splurging on Sony’s $ 2000 USD 200-600mm lens. At 150mm to 300mm, you can capture wider photos of your subject; zoomed in to 400mm and 500mm, you can grab crisp detail shots and wildlife portraits.

And though the Tamron 150-500mm will work just fine on Sony full-frame cameras, when mounted on an APS-C camera – such as the Sony a6600 – the lens delivers a whopping 225-750mm range, perfect for photographers seeking to shoot small, skittish subjects such as birds.

Of course, image quality remains to be seen, but Tamron confidently claims that the 150-500mm packs “amazing high image quality,” boasting “exceptionally high resolving power across the entire image.”

As for autofocus, the 150-500mm “provides high speed, high precision, and excellent quietness,” thanks to Tamron’s VXD focusing technology.

Sure, a wider maximum aperture would be useful, especially for low-light wildlife and sports photography. But wider apertures come with eye-watering costs, plus Tamron has added Vibration Compensation (VC), which ensures sharp images even when shooting handheld in limited light.

While the Tamron 150-500mm doesn’t come cheap, it’s not pricey, either (relatively speaking). You can preorder the lens for just $ 1399 USD, though expect to receive your copy after June 10th (also, Tamron notes that “the release date or product supply schedule could change” due to COVID-related problems).

So if you’re an enthusiast photographer in need of a super-telephoto zoom, I highly recommend you check out the Tamron 150-500mm.

Now over to you:

What do you think of this new lens from Tamron? Will you be interested in purchasing it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Tamron Announces the 150-500mm, a Portable Zoom for Sony Mirrorless appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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Lume Cube 2.0 review: rugged, portable lights for stills and video

15 Mar

Way back in 2014, Lume Cube Inc. sailed past its fundraising goals when it launched its brand-new, eponymously-named LED lighting system on Kickstarter. Aimed both at still and video shooters, the original Lume Cube offered 1,500-lumen light output and Bluetooth wireless control in a remarkably compact package. And despite measuring just 4 x 4 x 4.5cm (1.6 x 1.6 x 1.75″), it was also both rugged and waterproof.

Enter the Lume Cube 2.0: as portable as ever with some key improvements under the hood. In short, we think it’s an incredibly handy little light with a robust ecosystem of accessories. See our condensed findings below and read on for the full analysis.

Key takeaways:

Compact, size, rugged and waterproof construction inspire confidence and use in a variety of situations
Excellent quality of light, with daylight white balance and a high CRI value
Optical sensor to act as a slave flash for stills shooting
Fine control over brightness
Impressive battery run-time, but longer charge times
Good max brightness for size, but still struggles under sunlight
Excellent, if pricey, accessory system

What’s new?

Although it’s exactly the same size as its predecessor and has the same light output as before, the updated Lume Cube 2.0 now runs for three times as long at full power, and is easier to recharge too. And the light it produces has improved noticeably in terms of its color rendition, coverage and evenness.

The new version also offers an added low-light mode with a 1-10% power range in 1% increments, controllable either from the smartphone app or the Lume Cube’s own physical controls. And the product bundle has been expanded, with a modification frame and two filters included as part of the base product bundle.


The standard Lume Cube 2.0 kit (left, $ 90) now includes the modification frame with diffuser and warming filters. The Pro Lighting Kit (right, $ 300) includes a carry case packing two lights with modification frames, a dozen filters, two grids, and a full set of barn doors, snoot and diffusion bulb for each light.

Who is it for?

As before, the Lume Cube 2.0 is aimed both at still and video shooters, regardless of whether they’re using a sizable interchangeable-lens camera rig, GoPro, smartphone or even a drone.

For standalone cameras, most functionality can be used without a smartphone at all, and the Lume Cube works either a continuous light source or an optically-triggered slave flash. Alternatively, multiple lights can be controlled individually or as a group using an Android / iOS app.

Smarter physical controls and a better-placed optical sensor

The Lume Cube 2.0 looks quite similar to predecessor, and its size and weight are unchanged. The biggest difference is that the optical sensor has moved from the front of the light to its top, sharing its location with the status LED. In its new home, it’s now easier to trigger from a wide range of angles.

It sits in between a clearly-labeled pair of opaque black buttons on the top deck which replace the translucent buttons of the original model. These together provide access to power control, brightness adjustment, optical slave flash, and low-light mode.

The non-swiveling hot shoe mount shown in this image is included in the standard bundle. The Pro Lighting Kit doesn’t include any mounts; the ball head mount shown atop this page costs $ 25.

Charging is quicker and easier, but waterproofing suffers

Around back, the charging port is now a modern, reversible USB-C connector, and is covered by a soft rubber flap. While it’s still a bit fiddly to pull open with recently-trimmed nails, it closes securely, stays in place, and it’s really nice not to have to worry about the lights being affected by rain. (And to be able to take them underwater too, if that’s your thing.)

While less bothersome than the screw-in cover of the original Lume Cube, it’s also easier for water to circumvent, though. As a result the new model is waterproof to a maximum depth of 9.1m / 30ft, down from 30.5 / 100ft for its predecessor. That’s still plenty for snorkeling and probably a pretty significant proportion of recreational scuba too, but if you’re planning on deeper dives you may want to stick with the earlier version.

Wider, more even and daylight-balanced light

On the inside, everything is new. The battery, LED and optics have all been replaced, and while it still has a light output of 1,500 lumens (750 lux at 1m), the Lume Cube 2.0 now has a 5600k daylight color temperature, down from the 6000-6500k of its predecessor.

At the same time, the quality of its light has improved, with a Color Rendering Index score of 95. The Lume Cube 2’s new lens is also less prone to hot spots, and has a wider 80-degree coverage, up from its predecessor’s 60-degree beam angle.

Here’s a view from the rear, with the Lume Cube on its optional ball head mount atop my personal Pentax K-3. This mount is much better than the basic one included in some kits, as it lets you aim the light in almost any direction.

Smarter firmware and new features

The Lume Cube 2.0 has also received some smart updates in the firmware department. Perhaps most importantly, it now requires a three-second long press of the power button to switch on. This ensures that unlike its predecessor, it won’t switch itself on in your camera bag and drain its battery right before it’s needed.

The new firmware also allows brightness to be adjusted in either direction using the Lume Cube 2.0’s physical controls, unlike the original version which could only increase brightness to its maximum before looping back around to its minimum brightness setting on the next step.

And a new mode accessed with a long press of both buttons at once allows a much narrower 1-10% brightness range with a more precise 1% step size, rather than the full range in 10% steps as is the default. It’s handy if you’re shooting long exposures but still need just a little illumination.

Same accessories and mounting system, but now it’s in the bundle

A wide selection of filters and accessories can be attached to the Lume Cube 2.0 using the exact same modification frame attachment as before, allowing owners of the original Lume Cube to upgrade their lights or add new ones while keeping the rest of their gear.

A wide variety of optional mounts are available, including this spring-loaded smartphone clip ($ 20) to which I’ve attached the ball head and a Lume Cube 2.0 with bulb diffuser.

The frame itself now ships even in the base product bundle along with a pair of warming and light diffusion filters. Each of these uses name-brand LEE filter materials from the company’s LED-specific Zircon line. The level three warming filter drops the color temperature to 4,500 kelvin, and the diffusion filter is the lowest strength available.

Incredibly portable yet decent battery life too

The Lume Cube 2.0 is very solidly built, with not a hint of creak or flex anywhere. It’s also impressively small. Even with a modification frame attached it’d fit in looser pants pockets, and you could easily bring two or three in a jacket pocket and almost forget they were there until you needed them.

Given the compact size and relatively powerful output, I was really impressed by battery life, which is a huge improvement on the previous iteration’s 25 minutes. At 100% brightness, I could manage anywhere from 62 to 90 minutes on a charge, depending on whether or not Bluetooth was enabled, meeting the manufacturer spec precisely.

Battery life impresses, and you can charge the lights while using them

And by dropping to 50% brightness, I managed an average of three hours, 38 minutes per charge with Bluetooth active. That absolutely demolishes not only the original Lume Cube’s runtime, but also the spec sheet, which promises only 2.5 hours!

I must say it surprised me that controlling the lights via Bluetooth decreased the battery life as much as it did, though. The good news is that the Bluetooth radio does eventually go to sleep if the light is left inactive for a while. Once fully asleep, it needs to be woken back up with a physical button press before it’ll respond via Bluetooth again.

Fast charging requires a fast, modern USB-C charger and cable

The only place I didn’t come near the manufacturer spec was recharging. Lume Cube’s documentation promises around 45-60 minutes for a full charge, but using the supplied USB-C to USB-A cable and a wide variety of different chargers capable of up to a maximum of 18 watts per port, I was never able to recharge in less than two hours, 49 minutes.

I used three Lume Cubes for this shot. One was unfiltered on a mini-tripod near the bottom front of the cage, and another with bulb diffuser was pointed straight down from a bit above and in front of the birds. Finally, a third was just out of frame right and, in turn, was aimed to bounce off a small folding reflector just out of frame left.

To get near the claimed time you’ll likely need a recent, high-powered USB-C charger with Power Delivery support, as intended for charging laptops and the like, plus a Power Delivery-compatible USB-C to C cable. Unfortunately, I haven’t one to test with myself to confirm the claimed charging time.

Recharge and use your lights at the same time

The good news is that you can charge and use the lights at the same time if you’re within reach of a power outlet. This can potentially extend run times a lot, especially if you can switch off entirely or dial the brightness down significantly while setting up and between groups of shots.

I did just that while working to get the shot of my pet parakeets above, avoiding having to stress the birds any more than was necessary.

Note, though, that it’s not recommended to go above brightness level 80 while also charging. This is likely due to heat concerns, as after extended periods at 100% power, the Lume Cubes can get uncomfortably hot to the touch even without charging at the same time. (Not enough to burn instantly, but enough that you couldn’t persuade me to hold my finger on it.)


So long as you’re not in direct sunlight, the Lume Cube 2.0 is sufficiently bright for daytime use at shorter distances. Compared to the unlit shot (left), a Lume Cube at arm’s length (right) not only fills in shadows, but is strong enough to cast its own.

Best for smaller subjects or in lower ambient light

The Lume Cubes’ small size is great in terms of portability, but it comes at the expense of daytime usability. For what they are, these are pretty powerful lights but they’re simply no match for full sunlight, where they struggle to fill in shadows even at full power from just a couple of feet away.

A small reflector would be a better choice here, using the sun’s own power to provide light where it’s needed. In full shade or even indirect sunlight, though, even just a single Lume Cube can make quite a noticeable difference, so long as it can be kept fairly close to the subject.

That makes it quite well-suited to things like head-and-shoulders portraits, selfies and talking head video capture, and so on. And once you take the sun out of the equation, shooting indoors or at night the Lume Cubes really shine, if you’ll pardon the pun.

This image required just a single Lume Cube. I positioned the camera directly above the cash, then put a sheet of glass at a 45-degree angle in between. I bounced the light from a single unfiltered Lume Cube off this, and shielded the subject from direct lighting.

Up next, let’s take a look at the Lume Cube 2.0’s accessory mounting system, and its Android / iOS app experience, before wrapping up with a final conclusion.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Video: Fotodiox tutorial transforms portable scanner into a 4×5 digital camera back

14 Mar

Photography gear company Fotodiox has published a new video showing viewers how to turn a portable scanner into a 4×5 digital scanner back for use with large format cameras. The video tutorial is based on a concept published by Randy Sarafan on Instructables.

In Fotodiox’s version of the project, the team uses a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner, which costs around $ 180 on Amazon; other models could also be used, video host Sean notes in the tutorial. The scanner is paired with a CameraDactyl 4×5 camera ($ 200) and a 5×7 Fresnel sheet ($ 5).

Sean notes that the digital back cannot provide the same level of quality as 4×5 film, but he says that it’s ‘such a cool idea, I had to try it.’

The project kicks off with Sean grinding the scanner’s glass using 600 grit silicon carbide and a small piece of glass. This transforms the panel into ground glass, which is then paired with the sheet of Fresnel glass for more even light distribution. The ground glass is reattached to the projector and the Fresnel is attached to it using ordinary duct tape.

The camera was then duct-taped to the projector, as well, with Sean noting that he used the CameraDactyl model partly because it is very lightweight.

After opening the aperture and focusing the image, Sean covered the back of the camera with a dark object to keep light out, then hit the ‘scan’ button on the digital back. The scanning process took about 20 seconds and the result was a ‘4×5 film look’ from a digital scanner.

As far as downsides go, Sean notes that this scanner arrangement can’t capture color images and that the image is captured off the ground glass, which means the texture from the glass results in grainy images. Photographers may also have to deal with scan lines in some images.

Ultimately, though, Sean explains: ‘I get a really shallow depth of field. It just has this really nice vintage 4×5 film look.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The Fujifilm X-T4 is a portable, powerful 4K video rig

11 Mar

I recently had an opportunity to shoot a short video while on vacation in New York, so decided to take the X-T4 with me. It’s a pre-production unit but one we’ve been told is close enough to final spec that we can show the video from it, so it seemed like a chance to put in some hours on the camera as we await a fully reviewable model.

I don’t regret that choice. Traveling for four days to a considerably colder city meant my carry-on luggage was already full, so any camera gear I wanted to take needed to fit under the seat in front of me on the plane. I’m 1.85m (6’1″) tall, so I’m already a bit pressed for legroom on US domestic flights, but I was able to fit the camera, a lens, my laptop and an SSD in a small, slim camera bag – everything I need to shoot and edit – and slot it vertically between my feet.

I was able to fit the camera, a lens, my laptop and an SSD under the seat in front of me on the plane

Much as I was impressed by the Panasonic S1H, I couldn’t have fitted it in my bag: not with an appropriately flexible lens. The same is true of the X-T3: adding either a tripod or a gimbal would have meant paying bag fees on my trip.

The camera, lens, mics, filters, SSD and laptop all fitted in a small, under-seat camera bag

In general, the footage lives up to the standard I’ve come to expect from the X-T3: very, very good. I shot the whole video in a combination of Eterna or F-Log, for the higher contrast scenes, safe in the knowledge that I had Fujifilm’s F-Log-to-Eterna LUT saved on my laptop to get a good color match with minimal effort.

The shoot itself went pretty smoothly, with no temperature concerns (no single clip is longer than 10 minutes but I shot around 30 minutes of footage essentially back-to-back). I remembered to pack the headphone dongle, so was able to monitor the audio, meaning I noticed when interference between the radio mic’s transmitter and receiver threatened to interrupt the interview recording.

With the ability to capture 10-bit footage internally and less need for a tripod or gimbal, the X-T4 ends up being a pretty self-contained video package.

The camera’s stabilization is really rather good, too. There’s none of the ‘grabbiness’ that was apparent the last time I shot with the X-H1, and it was my lack of technique, rather than the camera, that undermined some of the movement in the final video. At least on the pre-production camera, I didn’t see an appreciable improvement in the IS when I switched the ‘Boost’ mode on. Here I’d expect the camera to try more vigorously to maintain the original framing, but I found any difference hard to notice. I’ll try Boost IS again with ‘In-body + Digital IS’ on a future project.

Assessing exposure

One big thing I did notice, though: a camera that shoots video this good really needs better exposure tools. It’s got zebras, to let you interpret when things are clipped or near clipping, but not much more than that. With a bit of fiddling you can set them to check skin tones or a grey card but they can’t be set below 50%, and in F-Log mode your middle grey is supposed to be below 50%. Still, the new F-Log Assist function meant I was able to make a reasonable assessment by ‘eyeing’ the corrected preview, which was hugely useful. Having got used to using waveforms on the GH5S and S1H, I found myself really missing them here.

Similarly, I found myself wanting the ‘shutter angle’ option from those cameras. Having to manually navigate from 1/48 sec shutter speed to 1/120 sec every time I switched from 24p to 60p shooting was an extra step that I wouldn’t have to make on the Panasonics. And an extra opportunity to get something wrong.

I was only shooting video on this occasion, but that dedicated stills/movie switch helps de-clutter the menus, whichever mode you’re using, which made the camera faster to operate.

As I always try to make clear, I’m learning as I go along, and this inevitably means making mistakes. Perhaps the most important lesson I learned on this project was to bring more memory cards than you think you need. I thought a 64GB card would be sufficient for a two minute video, but then decided to shoot the interviews from two different angles, doubling data requirements.

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned on this project was to bring more memory cards than you think you need

It was enough to force me to drop down to use the camera’s 200 mbps Long-GOP compression, rather than the maximum 400 mbps ALL-I mode. Apparently the difference is enough that you can begin to risk macro-blocking compression artifacts in high data scenes (F-Log scenes with finely textured suiting are more data-intensive than I realized).

One of these days I’ll get everything right. One of these days I’ll even remember to capture some ‘room tone’ to plug the gaps in between subjects talking. But for now I’ll keep enjoying the learning journey – a journey on which the X-T4 makes for a supportive traveling companion. I certainly look forward to having it with me on my next trip.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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PiXLIGHT portable speedlight for cameras and smartphones launches on Kickstarter

15 Feb

Photographer Arash Hamidi has launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking funds for PiXLIGHT, an off-camera speedlight with a portable, lightweight design and support for smartphones in addition to cameras. The speedlight system collapses down to a small size when not in use, enabling photographers to pack it in the average photography backpack or most bags.

PiXLIGHT weighs 1.6kg (3.5lbs) and measures 203cm (80in) long when setup with its umbrella, which will be available with six and eight ribs. The modeling LED light has a 2.5s recycle time, attaches to a flexible gooseneck with 360-degree swivel support and is capable of 400 full-power flashes per charge; the battery is user-replaceable.

Other features include support for high-speed sync, more than 15 light modifiers, an angle lock on the tripod, remote control and built-in trigger, Bluetooth for connecting to a smartphone in order to control the light’s settings, standard USB-C charging and a guide number of 58 at ISO 100.

The Kickstarter campaign, which has exceeded its funding goal, is offering the PiXLIGHT with an umbrella, remote, battery and ‘simple bag’ for pledges of $ 249. Other pledge options are also available offering a variety of modifiers without the light, two lights with umbrellas, batteries and a ‘special bag’ and more. Shipping to backers is estimated to start in July.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road

19 Jan

The post Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.

It is wonderful having a permanent studio to work in. But imagine being able to pack that studio into your camera bag and take it with you anywhere you want. You can do this by creating a portable portrait studio.

The problem is, portable studios tend to take up a lot of space.

I traveled from school to school with a portable studio. But it would take up my entire car, leaving no room for a passenger!

Half the fun of being a photographer is embracing constraints. So I decided to see how minimal I could get with a portable studio. Could I create a studio that fits into one small camera bag?

This is an important project because when you are confident that you can make nice portraits with minimal gear, you can take your studio down any road and into any situation. Your limits fade away, and the whole world becomes your studio.

This is my portable portrait studio. One camera, one lens, two speedlights, a rainbow of colored gels, one light stand, one umbrella, one reflector, and one piece of white fabric.

A studio is a place to study. By making your studio small and portable, you can study anywhere you desire.

Three things to consider as you travel with your portable studio

1. The person

The person you’re photographing is more important than your gear, your schedule, or anything else. Put all your focus on the person you’re photographing in order to achieve a good portrait. I tested out my new studio with a person, but if you don’t have a model you can practice with toy figures.

2. The light

When you need to make a portrait, look for a good light source.

A larger light source creates softer shadows and a smaller light source creates crisp shadows. Often, softer shadows are pleasing for a portrait.

The first thing I look for is a large window for my light source. If I can find a large window, then I don’t even need to use the lights in my bag. In that case, my portable portrait studio whittles down to a camera and a reflector.

But if I need to create my own light source, then I use a speed light and umbrella or softbox. By itself, the speedlight is a small light source. But the umbrella converts it into a larger light source and softens the shadows.

3. A clean background

You don’t want distractions in the background of your photo. Either keep the background clean and simple or make it part of the story. There isn’t much in your portable portrait studio, so you’ll have to work with the backgrounds you find on location.

The goal for all of these photos is a simple portrait with nice light and a clean background.

Portraits with a large window

Let’s begin with a simple scenario using a large window as the light source.

When you place your subject near the window, and you expose properly for their skin tone, much of the background will fall into darkness.

This is not a pleasing environment for a portrait. However, don’t be concerned with what the whole room looks like, only how your final portrait will look. Notice where the girl is positioned in relation to the window.

The large window has created soft shadows on her face. The catchlights bring her eyes to life. There are some distractions in the background that could have been taken care of with a slightly different composition. 50mm, ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/400 sec.

Portraits with a small window

Smaller windows can produce harsh shadows. The secret is to keep your subject as close to the window as possible. The closer they are to the window, the larger the light source becomes in relation to your subject.

She is placed extremely close to the window.

The light on her face is quite nice but the background is distracting. 50mm, ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/400 sec.

I moved her to the other side of the window.

I used the wall as the background for the portrait. 50mm, ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/320 sec.

A portrait using a neutral-colored wall

I found a really good bit of neutral-colored wall but it was not near a window. This is when you need to set up your speedlight and umbrella.

This patch of grey wall will be perfect as a background.

The umbrella illuminated both her face and the wall but didn’t cast any harsh shadows. 50mm, ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/200 sec.

Creating a white background

You can create a white background by using a white wall or a white piece of fabric in your portable portrait studio. Make sure to illuminate the white background with the second speedlight in your bag.

how to make a white background for portraits

The white piece of fabric will be taped to the wall to use as a background. The second speedlight will light up the fabric so that it turns pure white instead of grey.

Creating a white background

portable portrait studio
Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road

Turn any background into black

You can turn any background black with two simple steps.

Move your subject as far away from the background as you can
Light your subject with your speedlight but don’t let the light fall onto the background (this is why we’re keeping the background so far away).

The background is about 20 feet away

You may need to darken the background a tiny bit more in post-processing. 50mm, ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/200 sec.

Make a colored background with gels

You can turn that neutral wall a different color using gels on your speedlight.

Place the colored gel over the speedlight to transform the color of the wall.

portable portrait studio
Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road

Go crazy with the light!

There comes a moment in every session when you just have to try something completely different.

Being a fan of backlight, I put both speedlights with colored gels in the background and pointed them right toward the camera.

Don’t settle for the same old photos every session. Always try at least one new thing. This was her favorite photo.

How to make your studio infinitely larger

It’s good to have a permanent studio as a home base, but even a full-scale studio can become a limiting place. Figure out the minimal amount of gear that you need to make a portrait, pack it into one bag and then go and explore your world with your portable portrait studio.

Here are more tips for portrait lighting as you travel:

5 creative portrait lighting tricks using only phone light
How to create awesome portrait lighting with a paper bag an elastic band and a chocolate donut
6 portrait lighting patterns every photographer should know/
One speedlight portrait lighting tutorial
5 places perfect natural portrait lighting
How to use an outdoor studio for natural portraits
Portrait lighting project rainy day

The post Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.

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The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019

04 Jan

The post The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Do you like to print your photos? In this video from, 10BestOnes, they delve into the 5 Best portable photo printers in 2019. Starting from number 5 and working down to number 1.

Are there any others you would add to this list? If so, share with us in the comments!

The 5 Best portable photo printers in 2019

5. Kodak Mini 2

The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019

The Kodak Mini 2 is a small size, measuring 1x3x5.2 inches, and features a colorful print quality that uses a 5-step layered printing process. The images have great vibrancy and detail.

It has ease of use, a fast set-up, and great functionality with the mobile app. The Kodak Mini 2 comes in white, black, blue, pink, and purple and is small enough to fit in your pocket.

Its uncomplicated design consists of a power button and a USB port for charging the printer. There is a built-in lithium battery lasting for around 15 prints.

The Kodak Mini comes with a Kodak app for Android and IOS devices. It is great for editing and adjusting images for print, and has some great templates for printing business or greeting cards. It prints wirelessly at a speed of 1min15sec for a 2.1×3.4 inch photo.

4. Fujifilm Instax SP-3

The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019

Fujifilm is a leading expert in photography, bringing the retro look back to photography. The Fujifilm Instax SP-3 continues the retro vibes with prints that look like polaroids.

It’s portable, with great ease-of-use, and works great with smartphones.

It has an attractive design with a high-quality build made from soft plastic. It’s expertly constructed, as it should be with its premium price tag.

The device measures 6.1×6.1×3.7 inches (weighs 1.3 pounds) in total, meaning it can fit in most backpacks.

The Fujifilm Instax SP-3 has a rechargeable battery. LED lights on the printer let you know how many shots you have remaining before having to recharge the printer. It also has a reprint button so you can easily reprint the same image as many times as you like without having to go through the app each time.

The app is attractive and intuitive and has a history section, too, so you can go back and easily print photos you’ve previously printed.

Fujifilm Instax SP-3 print size is a square format at 2.4×2.4 inches at a resolution of about 800×800, which gives 318dpi. The color and reproduction are fantastic, and it takes around 13 seconds to print.

3. Kodak Mini Shot

kodak-minishot

The Kodak Mini Shot is an instant camera and printer in one retro-style device. Available in a range of colors, the camera comes in blue, pink, yellow, purple, black, and white.

Measuring 5.2x3x0.9 inches in size, the Kodak Mini Shot weighs only 0.5 pounds, meaning it can easily fit into your pocket.

On the back are a small LCD display and set of buttons that allow you to select and print your photos.

However, there are a few downsides to this device.

There is no way to save your photos to the device for printing later. It has no viewfinder, making it difficult to see if your subject is in focus. The battery life is not great, and the LCD screen takes a while to refresh when you move the camera.

Downsides aside, the print quality is still relatively good. It prints in a 2.1×3.4 inch format and takes about 30 seconds to print.

Also, the app delivers filters and customizations before printing.

2. The Polaroid Mint

The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019

The Polaroid Mint has amazing qualities in a hipster, light package. It has the best battery life and photo quality from a portable printer. It’s pocket-sized, measuring in at 4.5x3x0.7 inches and weighing 7.2 ounces.

It has a simple design with the Polaroid logo engraved on its body and is available in black, blue, yellow, red, and white.

The Polaroid Mint can house 50 print sheets in its body. It has a rechargeable, 900mah battery with amazing run time, with the ability to print about 40 photos on a single charge. It uses zinc zero-ink paper that can easily slide into the device. Moreover, you don’t need to replace ink cartridges because it doesn’t use them.

The Polaroid Mint has wireless connectivity, linking to the app on your phone. It can also lodge a micro SD card up to 256GB so that you can store photos in it.

The print size is the standard 2×3 inches. It prints with amazing quality and contrast.

1. HP X7NO7A Sprocket

The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019

The best overall printer in the market is the HP X7NO7A Sprocket. It’s a small and portable device with easy-to-use functions, quick print speed, and integration with its app, Facebook and Instagram, and other features to make your life easier.

Utilizing zinc sheets, the HP X7NO7A Sprocket doesn’t use ink cartridges. It has a well-made design with a sleek look, and rounded corners. The size of the HP X7NO7A Sprocket is 4.5x3x0.9 inches, and it weighs 6 ounces.

The white casing has copper details around the center and logo, and there are minimal details. It only has the power button and the USB socket. Its connectivity is only via Bluetooth.

The app is fool-proof and makes editing and printing your photos very easy. It can print a photo in 42 seconds. While the print quality is great, the color isn’t very saturated. However, overall, the device delivers tremendous value for the price.

You may also find the following helpful:

Practical Color Management – How to Set Up Your Printer to Match Your Monitor
How to get more from your printer – besides good quality prints!
Printers – Laser vs Inkjet
Polaroid PoGo Mobile Printer Review
Photo Printers: Choosing the Best One for Your Needs

The post The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

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CHASING DORY is a portable, affordable underwater drone with 1080p video

06 Oct

If there’s one omnipresent trend in the drone industry, it’s this: manufacturers are thinking smaller. Companies are aiming to make unmanned aerial vehicles more compact while inserting as many premium features, found in their larger counterparts, as possible. The CHASING DORY underwater drone, which is currently in the midst of a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, is no exception.

Presumably named after the daffy but lovable fish from the movie Finding Nemo, at 18.8cm (7.4in) wide, the drone is smaller than a standard sheet of paper. It is the follow up to Shenzhen-based company CHASING’s GLADIUS MINI drone whose 2017 Indiegogo campaign ended with 1629% funding and a 100% delivery rate to backers. DORY is 56% lighter and 65% smaller than its predecessor which weighed 2.5kg (5.5 pounds).

An algorithm ensures photos remain vivid in all conditions.

DORY’s camera has an F1.6 lens with 1/2.9″ CMOS sensor capable of recording at 1080p, a 100° field of view, and a ±45° Tilt-Lock mode that allows you to scan the floor of a body of water or view its surface above. Two 250-lumen lights placed on the front of drone illuminate the area where its operating without overwhelming underwater inhabitants. CHASING’s color-restore algorithm keeps photos vivid in all conditions. 8 GB of internal memory means you don’t have to worry about losing any footage.

The lowest possible pledge available on Kickstarter will get you a DORY underwater drone, Wi-Fi buoy, tether, and charger. The Wi-Fi buoy helps your mobile device stay connected up to 15 meters (49 feet) away with the wired tether. An Anti-lost Warning is there to prevent any chance of getting disconnected. Depth Lock helps the drone remain stable so it doesn’t get tossed around. The charger takes two hours to power a 4800 mAh battery which will give you one hour of operating time. Unlike other underwater drones that require multiple components to be charged, only the drone needs it with the DORY.

DORY doesn’t come with a remote. Instead, a smartphone is all that is needed, along with the CHASING DORY app (available for iOS and Android), to control the drone. You can customize imagery with 19 different filters, share footage on social networks including Facebook and Instagram, and even stream live. The app also features Co-Play which enables one person to maneuver the drone while the other controls the camera.

As of this writing, there are 17 days left to back DORY on Kickstarter. The campaign has already raised over $ 120,000 of its initial $ 30,000 goal. If underwater exploration is your interest, this portable, affordable drone is an option worth considering.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Westcott FJ400 is a sleek 400ws portable flash head with cross-platform radio trigger

30 Sep

Lighting and accessory manufacturer Westcott has announced a studio-style battery operated portable flash head that it claims has a recycle time of less than a second at full power, and which can be triggered by a wireless controller that’s compatible with the TTL flash system of ‘virtually any camera brand’. The Westcott FJ400 is a mono-block style head that takes Bowens S mount modifiers and which is powered by a 4400mAh lithium polymer battery that is said to deliver more than 480 full power bursts per charge. The heads also come with an AC power lead.

A dial on the side of the unit allows the power to be adjusted over a 9-stop range in full or 1/10th stop increments, and flash duration varies between 1/1280sec and 1/19,000sec depending on output levels and the mode set. The head can pulse to match a 20fps camera drive and allows high speed sync with shutter speeds as short as 1/8000sec. The wireless system in driven by a particularly powerful 2.4GHz radio communication network that the company says has a range of 300m/985ft, and heads can be organised in 10 groups over 16 channels.

A large display panel on the side of the flash allows users to see at the glance the unit’s settings and a 20W LED modelling lamp helps to preview the look of the light before the shutter is pressed. Westcott has mounted the flash tube well away from the body of the housing to push light out at a wide angle and a diffuser dome is supplied in kits as an accessory to soften the light before it enters the modifier.

Westcott has also introduced wireless controller for the head that it says is compatible with a wide range of flash systems from different camera manufacturers. Each Westcott FJ-X2m Universal Wireless Flash Trigger is said to work with Canon, Nikon, Sony (with adapter), Fuji, Panasonic Lumix, and Olympus cameras, as well as the Canon RT flash system. It is powered by its own lithium ion battery that is good for over 200,000 triggers per charge, and sits in the camera’s hotshoe. The controller is also supplied with a Bluetooth connection that allows it to be adjusted remotely using a smartphone app.

The Westcott FJ400 basic kit costs $ 569.90 and the FJ-X2m controller costs $ 99.90, and both are due to ship in late October. For more information see the Westcott website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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PNY unveils two ultra-compact portable SSDs and MOBEE mobile gimbal

07 Sep

Flash storage and accessories company PNY has introduced the MOBEE gimbal 3-axis stabilizer for smartphones, as well as its new Elite Portable SSD and PRO Elite SSD.

Despite PNY’s claimes, they’re not the fastest portable SSDs on the market, but the new PNY models make up for their slightly slower speeds by offering very compact sizes. The Elite Portable SSD model measures 6 x 3.6 x 0.9cm (2.3 x 1.4 x 0.3in) and the PRO Elite is slightly larger at 13.3 x 10.2 x 5.7cm (5.2 x 4 x 2.2in).

The PNY Elite model is offered in 240GB and 480GB capacities with up to 430MB/s read and 400MB/s write speeds. The PRO Elite model is offered in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacities with up to 890MB/s write and 900MB/s read speeds. The Elite Portable SSD 450GB costs $ 125 USD; the PRO Elite model ranges from $ 70 USD to $ 162 USD.

The new PNY MOBEE gimbal, meanwhile, is compact at 10.8 x 28.9 x 7cm (4.2 x 11.3 x 2.7in) with a weight of 1.4kg (3lbs). The 3-axis stabilizer features a rechargeable Li-ion battery offering up to 12 hours of operation per charge, as well as a USB port for charging a smartphone while shooting.

A companion mobile app offers access to different shooting modes, including object and face tracking, slow motion and time-lapse. The gimbal is only listed on Amazon.uk at this time with a price of £87.13 ($ 107.14 USD).

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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